Understandable Upset
by Ginger S
Summary: Stopping at the corner gas station market can lead to an understandable upset for one of our friends from Station 51.


**This is a short story I wrote while waiting to pick my daughter up from band practice. I guess you never know when inspiration will hit you.**

**Understandable Upset**

**By GCS**

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

His lips burned.

All he wanted was to find some Chapstick. That wasn't too much to ask was it?

Just a little relief from the burning.

He had stopped at the gas station convenience store to run in and get the much needed lip balm.

That was it. Run in and run out. Two minutes tops.

He didn't want to be late for roll call.

How could things have gone so terribly wrong in a matter of minutes?

He hadn't noticed the man at the counter talking to the store clerk when he came in.

He didn't have time and honestly he didn't care.

He only wanted the Chapstick.

'Why today?' he thought. 'Why here? Why now?'

He shifted his weight trying to ease the ache he felt in his shoulder.

His back hurt from sitting so long on the cold hard floor to the storeroom.

His sore burning lips were now split and bleeding from the impact of the gun when it his face.

His lips really hurt now as well as his ribs. That guy must have been wearing steel toed shoes when he had kicked him in the ribs. 'Hope they aren't broken. Cap's just gonna love me missing work.

Wonder what time it is? Guess I'm in trouble. Guess I'll get latrine duty.'

Suddenly he heard a soft moan from the other side of the room. "Shh it's all right. Just try to be still. I think he's gone. Help will be here soon." 'I hope,' he thought to himself, 'If I could just get these ropes off.' He pulled and twisted his wrists feeling the rope cutting into the flesh, his flesh. 'Come on guys, I know you've had roll call and are missing me. Come find me.' That was his last thought as he lost consciousness. The adrenaline from fighting with the gunman had long since run out. He slumped sideways and fell over on the floor.

"Well gentlemen I guess we can start roll call. Jamison has agreed to stay over until we either see or hear from our wayward engineer. Have any of you heard from Michael on our days off?" Hank Stanley asked his men.

A round of "No Sir," was heard from the group of men standing at attention in front of the engine.

"It's just not like him to be late." Cap tapped his clipboard with the pen he was holding.

The teenage boy pulled up next to the gas pump just as the gunman ran out of the store. The man ran over and pointed his gun in the teenager's face and demanded his keys. The teen gave them to him and backed away with his hands up. "Take it man. I don't want any trouble. Just take the truck and go."

A loud popping noise rang in the air and the young man fell to the ground. The gunman jumped into the truck and sped away not realizing that the truck needed gas. In fact he had less than a fourth of a tank of gas. He wouldn't get far in his escape. The pump nozzle had been sticking out of the gas tank on the truck. It jerked out and fell to the ground striking the concrete creating a spark that ignited the gas that had leaked onto the lot. Flames quickly shot across the lot.

A passing police cruiser saw the fire start and immediately called it in.

"Station 51, fire at the gas station on the corner of Walker and Bay time out 09:25."

The crew of firemen ran for their vehicles and proceeded out the bay into the street with sirens blaring and lights flashing.

The policeman saw the teen on the ground and carefully moved him to safety away from the gas tanks in case they blew. He ran to the squad car grabbed the first aid kit and pulled some bandages out and stuffed them under the boy's shirt. He then pulled the boy's belt from his jeans and wrapped it around his shoulder to apply pressure while he secured the rest of the scene. Since there were two cars in the lot he ran into the store with his gun drawn to make sure it was evacuated. He knew something was terribly wrong because the teen had been shot. He didn't find anyone behind the counter or in the store. He did see some blood splattered near the counter. He followed the bloody trail to the storeroom. He broke the door open and found two people inside. Since he was the closest to the door the patrolman went to Mike first. He gently shook him to try to wake him. Mike's eyes fluttered and finally opened. "Bout time."

"Okay mister we need to get out of here. There's a fire outside and it's headed toward the pumps." He made fast work of cutting the ropes that held Mike's arms behind his back and moved to the store clerk. "Ma'am can you hear me?" When she didn't respond Mike moved over and lifted the woman in a fireman's carry. "You look like you've done that before."

"A few times." Mike grunted from the stress on his ribs. "You call the fire department?" As he said those words he could hear the familiar sirens in the distance.

The patrolman led the way out of the storeroom making sure the perpetrator was gone. He opened the front door and pointed Mike across the street. "There's another kid over here." The patrolman said pointing across the street.

"Move my truck?" Mike asked as he dug in his pocket and pulled out his keys.

"Sure buddy."

"Mike."

"What?"

"Mike Stoker, LA county Fire Department."

"Okay Mike Stoker. I'll get your truck."

The squad and engine pulled up just as Mike lowered the victim to the ground nearly collapsing himself. Johnny jumped from the still moving vehicle and ran over to his friend, "Mike?"

"I'm okay Johnny. She's been out for at least twenty minutes. She moaned a little and tried to wake up but didn't'."

"What about the kid?" Johnny asked.

"He's been shot in the shoulder," the patrolman said as he handed Mike the keys to his truck. I "I put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, but I had to leave him to get these two out." Johnny smiled at the policeman knowing that it was Mike he had seen carrying the woman to safety.

By now Roy had joined them with the equipment and was checking the teenager for an exit wound. Johnny checked the store clerk. She had a large bump on the back of her head. Captain Stanley, Chet, Marco and Jamison were busy putting out the fire. "She's pretty stable just unconscious. Did he hit her?" Johnny continued getting vitals.

"Yeah he was pretty handy with the butt of that gun," Mike said as he rubbed his own jaw. "She's been out ever since."

"Okay Mike what about you? I can see the busted lip. What else did he do to you?" Johnny moved over to his friend.

"He kicked me in the ribs. I'm not sure, but he may have broken some. My wrists have rope burn, and he hit me in the face with the gun. Johnny take care of them I can wait. I'm not going anywhere.

Johnny picked up the bio-phone, opened it, secured the antennae and called in. Reporting the vitals and condition on the store clerk, receiving the treatment instructions, he then passed the receiver to Roy. Johnny started oxygen on his patient and skillfully started an IV. Roy was making similar motions for the teenager. Both victims were readied for transport and loaded in the ambulance that had arrived. Roy climbed into the ambulance with the victims for transport. He took the HT leaving the bio-phone with Johnny so he could communicate with Rampart about Mike's condition. Roy could use the HT or the ambulance radio if he needed to, but both patients were now alert and stable. "I'll meet you at Rampart Johnny." He smiled and waved to his partner as Johnny shut the ambulance doors slapping them to let the driver know it was safe to go.

Johnny came back over and started checking Mike's injuries and taking his vitals. "Your blood pressure is elevated; your pulse too."

"Well that's understandable." Mike shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Johnny looked at Mike with a raised eye brow.

"I just witnessed a robbery while trying to buy some Chapstick. Got hit in the face with the butt of a gun, and kicked in the ribs so hard they may be broken. I was rescued by a cop while the gas station caught fire and had to carry out a victim. Understandable."


End file.
